Recent Publications

The history of West Virginia is rich and complex. Over one hundred and fifty years have passed since West Virginia was admitted to the Union, and the desire to understand and relate to our past continues to the present day. The books, blog posts, dissertations, magazine and journal articles listed here are testament to the continued interest in the state, its people, traditions, and culture.

Each of the works cited in this bibliography are available for research or reading at the West Virginia and Regional History Center, the largest historical archives collection and library relating to West Virginia. This list includes works published in 2013 through July 2014, with the addition of some publications from 2009 and 2012 not included in previous bibliographies. Selected blog posts appear for the first time in the bibliography in relation to a new subscription for the WVRHC, Blue Ridge Country, a magazine that frequently features stories on West Virginia history, nature, and culture. West Virginia related titles not found in this bibliography can be located in other resources for publishers, periodicals, magazines, historical societies, and state publications.

In appreciation of the support I have received in the developmental stages of this bibliography, I would like to thank Harold Forbes, Curator Emeritus of Rare Books and Printed Resources, whose capable hands have shaped this bibliography for many years. I would also like to thank Jo Brown, Associate University Librarian, and Kevin Fredette, Associate University Librarian, for their help and guidance with this project.

As always, if you are aware of significant books or articles concerning West Virginia, its people, and places, please bring them to my attention.

Adams, Sean Patrick, ed. The American Coal Industry, 1790–1902. London: Pickering & Chatto, 2014. 1200 pp. Volume 1. Coal and the Nation, 1790–1835. Volume 2. Making Coal a Household Name, 1835–1875. Volume 3. King Coal’s Uneasy Throne in America, 1870–1902.

Antolini, Katharine Lane. Memorializing Motherhood: Anna Jarvis and the Struggle for Control of Mother’s Day. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2014. 288 pp. Made a National holiday in 1914, Anna Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908 and then spent decades promoting the holiday and defending it from commercialization, preferring a sentimental view of motherhood and domesticity.

Archer, Bill. Elkhorn. “History of the Racially Segregated Elkhorn and Elkhorn Elks High Schools in McDowell County, WV from 1922–2013.” Goldenseal 39 (Fall 2013): 46–51.

Barksdale, Kevin T. “James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln and the Constitutionality of the Creation of the State of West Virginia, 1787–1863.” Goldenseal 39 (Sept. 2013): 10–13.

Baumgardner, Stan. “Confederate Femme Fatale.” Wonderful West Virginia 77 (May 2013): 8–11. Article on Confederate spy, Isabelle “Belle” Boyd, born in Martinsburg, Virginia.

Baumgardner, Stan. “West Virginia’s Centennial: A Hero Returns.” Wonderful West Virginia 77 (Sept. 2013): 26–29. West Virginia’s Centennial celebration and the Presidential Address by John F. Kennedy at the State Capitol.

Brake, Sherri. The Ghost Hunters Guide to the West Virginia Penitentiary. S.1.: CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2014. 206 pp.

Brake, Sherri. Fireside Folklore of West Virginia: Ghosts, Spirits, Legends & Dark History. S.1; CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2012. 147 pp.

Casto, James E. “The Battle of Droop Mountain.” Wonderful West Virginia 77 (August 2013): 4–7.

Chafin, Andrew. Mingo County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014. 128 pp. A heritage photographic collection of Mingo County people and places.

Coe, Debbie, and Randy Coe. Fenton Basket Patterns: Innovation to Wisteria and Numbers. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2013. 176 pp. From the 1930s up to the present, the Fenton Art Glass Company, of Williamstown, has produced beautiful glass baskets in a huge variety of styles, colors, and patterns.

Cohen, Bob. A Trip by Rail in the Shenandoah Valley on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Southern Railway. Dauberville, PA: Outer Station Project, 2013. 160 pp. Covers the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Southern Railway line in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley: from Brunswick to Harper’s Ferry on the mainline, continuing up the Valley, 163 more miles in all, to Lexington, VA, via Strasburg and Harrisonburg. Each station...